We accuse the mayor of Arrecife of feeding fear and rejection of migrants

Podemos Canarias has rejected this Friday, through a press release, the statements made by the mayor of Arrecife, Yonathan de León, in which he demands that the Government of Spain deport the migrants arriving on the island to Morocco.

For the secretary of migrations and anti-racism of Podemos Canarias, Miguel López, using the arrival of people in extreme vulnerability to talk about "invasions," "leaky sieves," or "turning the Prime Minister's vacation into part of the migration debate does not offer any solution and contributes to fueling fear and rejection towards the migrant population."

López has pointed out that those who arrive on the Canary Islands' coasts after crossing one of the most dangerous migration routes in the world need "a response based on respect for human rights and obligations of protection and rescue, and not to be used as a tool for political confrontation."

The political party considers it particularly worrying that the mayor of the capital of Lanzarote proposes the deportation of these people to Morocco as a general response, "ignoring that behind each boat there are people with different situations and rights that must be attended to and guaranteed."

This political party has assured that it defends that the response to the migratory reality of the Canary Islands involves reinforcing reception resources, international cooperation, and protection mechanisms, but also by addressing the creation of legal and safe pathways that prevent thousands of people from having to put their lives in the hands of mafias.

"As long as there are no legal and safe alternatives, we will continue to assist people risking their lives at sea. Migration policy cannot consist of deciding to which coast we return those we have rescued, but rather of preventing them from having to risk their lives to arrive," López has maintained.

From Podemos Canarias, they have called for abandoning discourses that present migration as a threat and facing a complex reality with political responsibility, public resources, cooperation, and respect for human rights.

"The Canary Islands know too well what it means to emigrate. We do not need leaders looking for enemies among those who arrive exhausted on our coasts. We need policies that protect lives and solutions that are up to the task for a border territory like ours," López concluded.